An early look at the 2025 Tour de France

The Tour de France was one of the most-watched sports events of 2024, with a mind-boggling 3.5 billion people tuning in to watch the iconic race.

According to ExpressVPN, digital engagement was also through the roof, with millions of fans interacting with the Tour’s official website and social media platforms.

The 2025 edition of the iconic race is still several months away, but that has not stopped people from talking about who could emerge victorious.

With that in mind, read on as we take an early look at what the 2025 Tour de France has in store for the riders.

The Tour begins on July 5 with an exciting mix of flat and hilly stages in Brittany. The sprinters will look to set the early pace.

The opening stage will feature a thrilling 190-kilometre battle from Rennes to Caen, and the teams will be eager to garner early momentum.

Jasper Philipsen will be among the favourites to claim an early-stage win in L'Hexagone after his successes on stages 10, 13 and 16 in 2024.

Biniam Girmay was in fine form last year, clinching wins on stages 3, 8 and 12. He was the top sprinter at the 2024 Tour and will be out for more glory in 2025.

Bastille Day pauses everything in France on July 14, and there is an exciting Tour de France stage to commemorate the special day.

The race is generally the first real test for the climbers as they tackle a tough 163km route from Ennezat to Le Mont-Dore at high altitudes.

The climbers will hope to seize the opportunity to gain an advantage. Every rider will be pacing themselves against three-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar.

The Slovenian demonstrated his climbing dominance last year, winning the Bastille Day stage with a cracking climb to the Plateau de Beille.

The unforgiving Pyrenees Mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain presents an arduous test for the Tour de France riders.

Pogacar established his lead from this point last year and he will be eager to repeat the trick. Jonas Vingegaard will strive to keep pace with him and is another star to watch out for.

Vingegaard has enjoyed successes in the treacherous terrains of Hautacam, but the overall strength of Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates could play a role in the outcome of the race.

The mountain time trial in stage 13 should be an intriguing watch. Pogacar and Vingegaard will be desperate to start putting some distance between themselves and the chasing pack.

Advertorial: The penultimate stages of the Tour will be thrilling as the top riders bid to etch their names into Tour de France folklore.

Stage 15, where the battle rages from Muret to Carcassonne, will likely feature a breakaway as fatigue sets in among the riders.

The return of Mont Ventoux on stage 16 could see Vingegaard rallying to claw back time against Pogacar, setting the stage for an intense battle in the final week.

The Champs-Elysees in the glorious eighth arrondissement of Paris will once again deliver a memorable sprint finish on July 27.

Pogacar won the final day time trial last year ahead of defending champion Vingegaard. The pair may dominate proceedings again in 2025.